


The Prince Who Lived In A Tree

by Christian_the_bluefrog



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Medical herbs, Nature, Prince Castiel, Run Away, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-15 08:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Christian_the_bluefrog/pseuds/Christian_the_bluefrog
Summary: The twin Princes, Castiel and Lucifer, have just been orphaned. In an attempt to gain the crown Lucifer plots to kill his brother, leaving Castiel with no choice but to run or die. His mentor risks his life to deliver Castiel to a safe spot where he lives for three years, before a man named Dean shows up injured and in need of help.Castiel can't refuse but when he finds out who Dean really is everything changes.





	1. A Hollow Tree

He stood in front of his mirror; blue eyes puffy and red. Today was his parents funeral. He wasn't ready, for any of this. Not for the looks of pity, not for the responsiblity, not for putting his parents in the ground. He was seventeen. His parents should have gone to his wedding and held their grandchildren. His mother should have complained about gray hair, and his father about his hair line. They should have had years; many, many more years.

"Castiel?" He looked towards the door where his twin brother, Lucifer, stood waiting. He had on his new tunic, black with purple trim. Castiel looked down at his own new clothes; black with blue trim. 

"Are you coming?" Lucifer has started walking away. He quickly followed and began matching his brother step for step.

"Why are we walking so quickly?" Castiel questioned.

"The quicker we get there the quicker it will be over." 

 

 

The funeral was agonizingly slow. First the horse drawn carriages were paraded through the streets; towns people lining the roads to pay respects to the late King and Queen. After that, there was the drawn out speeches by the grave side. He had written a speech, but he was unable to speak, voice horse from sobbing. 

Finally the banquet; the last part in this miserable day. He stood off in the corner, drinking as much wine as he could get his hands on, until Chuck, the head council man, told the servants he couldn't have anymore. He did permit him to switch to honey mead. 

Lucifer was attending to guests, even smiling. Castiel hadn't seen him cry all day. How could he not cry for their parents? If there was ever a day to put etiquette aside, this was that day. He took the last swig of his mead. The night was almost over; no more then a half hour left. He could fit at least three more mugs in that time. 

~<3~

There was a loud rapping on the door. The light hit his eyes and he shut them quickly. Everything hurt, his head, feet, legs, eyes, and nose form being whipped raw. 

"Beg you pardon Your Highness, but the council meeting is about to start." 

"Thank you." He groaned. It took five minutes to roll over, and another five to get to his feet. He still had on yesterdays tunic. With a quick wash from the water basin and a change of clothes he was on his way. 

The grand hall was impressive to all who saw it. Even Castiel if he hadn't had the occasion to be there in a while. The tall walls were draped with cloth murals stretching to all ends. Past royals, the country side, the family crest; proudly displayed. Sitting at the rectangular table were all six council members. Chuck, Hannah, Jody, Crowley, Rufus, and Balthazar. His brother arrived as he took his seat at the far end of the table, and Lucifer across from him.

"We all know why we are here." Chunk announced after standing up.

"Get to it then." Crowley snapped. Chuck nodded his head to Hannah, who stood to speak.

"There has been some debate on which of you will take the throne." Lucifer shot up from his seat.

"I am the eldest! There should be no debate!" 

"Castiel outnumbers you greatly in the skills needed to rule." Rufus added.

"Let him have it." Castiel's words were soft. 

"Then the throne is mine." Lucifer proclaimed. 

"No." Hannah stated.

"All this talk is pointless; we've already come up with a solution. Just bloody tell them." Crowley huffed.

"The first of you to wed will have the throne." Chuck sighed. 

"This is insane, the crown is my birthright!" Lucifer protested. 

"There is no more to discuss. With no one on the throne, these matters are left to the council.This has taken far too long as is; we all have other duties to fulfill." Balthazar stood and nodded before departing the room dramatically. Castiel stood and quietly followed him, hoping to get out of ear shot before his brother exploded. 

~<3~

The cool night air blew through Castiel's dark hair, it smelled of grass and rain. He clicked softly to his horse, Garth, who had a black coat with pale gray patches. Bobby road up beside him on Ruby, a chestnut mare. 

"You ready to go, boy?" Castiel mounted with a nod. Bobby had been his mentor from the age of eight. He worked as a hunter, supplying the kitchen with game. Castiel had begged his parents to let Bobby teach him to hunt. It took quite a bit of convincing, but by twelve Castiel was bringing home bucks of his own. 

 

Castiel took off pushing Garth as fast as he could, bow on his back and saddle bags loaded. He had been waiting for this all day. The council had permitted him a five day hunting trip, and he was going to take advantage of every last second. The wind whipped across his face and his eyes started to water; but these were the best kind of tears. Ruby kept up well enough until they reached the edge of the forest. 

"You're finally going to show me your secret escape then?" Castiel started Garth down a path at a trot. 

"It's about time, I'd say." 

~<3~

They road for four hours, stopping to catch a rabbit, before making camp. Bobby was skinning tomorrow's breakfast while Castiel laid out the bed rolls. 

"We need to talk, boy." His voice was gruff and worried. Castiel joined him by the fire.

"If this is about my parents-" 

"Would you let me speak?" He sighed; something was wrong, very wrong. He kept his mouth shut. 

"This isn't a hunting trip. When I came and suggested it to you this morning, it's because I heard something. I have very loyal friends. Crowley and Lucifer are plotting to kill you. Lucifer will rule and Crowley with be his right hand." Castiel was silent, eyes lost in the fire. It danced, and skipped and jumped; alive, breathing. 

"Why tell me this? You're risking your safty and that of your family." Bobby slapped him over the head. 

"You're my son and you know it. Family don't end in blood." Castiel took the rabbit and started to gut it, separating the editable organs from the non. 

"I'm not coming back then, am I?" He placed a firm hand on Castiel's shoulder.

"No boy, you're not; but I'm not leaving you with nothing. My 'secret escape' is as much a home as mine in town. You know how to take care of yourself. Your quick footed and witted. It's not ideal, but it's better then dying." 

~<3~

It was a four day ride to Castiel's new home; a clearing of fourty yards or so. To the south side was the largest tree Castiel had ever seen, a giant sequoia; and it was almost completely hollowed out. There was a good sized river in the distance and a large stone, stained with old blood from cleaning animals. Bobby dismounted and set Ruby off to eat.

"This is amazing." Bobby smiled and waved him over to the tree; it had to be over twenty feet in diameter. He watched as his mentor pulled away a door of bark, set perfectly disguised, and disappeared into the dimly lit space. It took a minute but the older man poked his head out with a lit lantern in hand.

"You coming, boy?" It was amazing and terrifying; the tree didn't look in the best shape. But as soon as he entered the fear passed. The inside was solid. He took in his surroundings; a bed of furs on the far side of the door. Two pots hung from two of the many hooks on the walls; some made to dry meet, some ment for clothing. There was a small fire pit dug in the center, with two iron rods set atop it. 

"There's a hole up there somewhere. Lets the smoke out, but the tree's too tall and the forest too dense for anyone to notice; made sure of that myself." He turned to the prince and pulled him into a tight hug. 

"Thank you Bobby."

"Sure thing kid."


	2. A Stubborn Guest

Three years went by, and Bobby had visited before every hunting season each one, except this year. It was January, three months late. The first year was the hardest. He didn't know how much food to stock and ended up short during the winter, but he was a fighter, who pushed on. 

Earlier in year two, he'd been sick and gotten sloppy with a kill; which lead to a wolf following him home. When he realized he wasn't alone he offered the huge animal a leg from his deer. He vowed to never put himself in that situation again, however, it wasn't the last he'd see of the wolf. She would come around often and he would feed her. Then one day, she didn't leave. It didn't take long for Castiel to get use to her; it was nice having company, especially when hunting. 

~<3

"Come on Wolf, we're going fishing." Castiel waved the canine along. The sky was dark promising a blizzard tomorrow. Wolf trotted happily beside her master, knowing there were fish heads in her future. 

They reached the hole in the ice that Castiel had been using this winter. He kept it dug out to get water and fish. After baiting the hook with a chunk of old meat he dropped the line into the water. Fishing supplies weren't the only gift Bobby had brought him in his visits. There were books, novels and nature guides; of course he knew what plants not to eat and which to use that help healing, but having wild flower tea with honey was the best part of the week, especially when he added the few mint leaves he could find. 

He'd also been given spice jars, buckets, seeds and small things like sweets. There was a bite on the line and he snapped it to set the hook; an easy trout. He'd caught four more by dusk when he got up to leave. 

He took his time cleaning the fish, trying to make his time outside last. If this blizzard was bad he might not get to go out for days. 

"Yahh!" A voice in the distance called. It wasn't Bobby. He scooped up every scrap of fish and ordered Wolf inside. After kicking dirt on the coals he went to peak out of a crack in the bark.There were horse hoves pounding; more then one. An arrow flew by and struck his tree. The riders came into view, a boy a little younger then him in front, followed by two royal guards. He rode past the tree, guards on his heals. After a brief moment he was back, probably having turned the guards around. Castiel noticed an arrow in his bicep. He was pail, blood everywhere; he fell, ten feet from the door. 

Castiel didn't even stop to think, he signaled Wolf to stay and took off to get the other boy. He slapped the horse, needing something to lead the guards away. It wasnt much of a struggle picking the stranger up. He kicked snow, covering their prints and the blood as he ran back. Having no time he flung the boy to the ground, minding only that he didn't land on the arrow, and imminently replaced the door. He could hear the guard's horses run past. After only waiting a moment, he grabbed his flint and lit the bee's wax candle he'd made. 

The wound was deep, but he'd live. Castiel grabbed some recently dry deer hides and folded it, before placing it in the boy's mouth. This was going to hurt, but it needed to be done; preferably without the guards hearing. Firmly grasping the arrow and arm it protruded from, he yanked it out in one swift motion. The stranger jumped up, screams muffled by leather. 

Castiel put his finger to his lips, praying he would stay silent. The boy spit the leather out but didn't make any noise. Castiel went to a shelf he'd put up on year two; the year he got the spice jars. After grabbing a jar of yarrow powder and a plant fiber based wrap he plopped down in front of his guest. Castiel smiled handing back the leather, hoping to silently convey his intent to help. Now that he could see him up close, the stranger looked older then a boy, eighteen or seventeen maybe. 

He held out his arm after stuffing the hide between his teeth, fear sparkling in his green eyes. As gently as he could, Castiel packed the wound with power and wrapped it tightly. The stranger didn't wince once, he did however, jump up when he saw wolf stand up and move into the light. 

She strolled over to her master's side; all two hundred and fifty pounds of her. Wolf's shoulders were just above waist level and her head could easily reach anyones breastbone. She sprawled herself on Castiel's lap, tummy up. He smiled gently rubbing her fluffy coat. Castiel looked over at the stranger, a few feet away from him; frozen in place. 

"She's friendly; her name's Wolf." He whispered. Wolf turned her head, hearing her name. 

"Wolf?" She looked at the other man now.

"Original I know." Castiel chuckled. They sat in silence awkwardly.

"I'm Dean." 

"Castiel." Dean tensed up.

"Castiel the prince?" 

"Unfortunately." Wolf noticed the change in Dean's posture and breathing. She rolled over to sit between him and her master. 

"You killed my family." At first Castiel was sure he'd heard him wrong. 

"Come again?" 

"You. Killed. My. Family." Wolf was not happy with his tone and the hair on her neck stood.

"You need to calm down. We'll talk this through, but you're upseting her." He kept his voice smooth. Dean, who had had his eyes locked on Castiel, looked to the wolf in front of him. 

"My father, and my brother died because my father helped you; there was talk of a revolution in the kingdom. My father told A few people that you weren't dead, he said you could be pursued to lead it. He and our family were sentenced to death, under the charge of treason. I was the only one to escape." When Dean looked up there were tears in Castiel's eyes; streams of them. 

"Bobby's dead?" He wasn't given an answer.

"And you're his son?" Silence. Wolf had noticed her master's distress. She nudged his leg with her nose and he gave her a single pat on the head. 

"I'm so sorry." The wind started to blow strong outside, whipping against the tree and blowing cold air around.The blizzard was starting early. 

"I was hoping to stay here. My father had told my brother and I about it. I barely managed to get here, and only to find it occupied. I'll be on my way in the morning." 

"You can't leave."

"You can't stop me." He stood making Wolf uneasy.

"I won't stop you, but you won't last through your first night." Castiel decided that it had been long enough since the guards passed and stood to start a fire. 

"You don't think I can survive on my own? If my father can teach a spoiled palace brat to live out here, then I damn sure can too." Castiel didn't look to Dean as he spoke, instead he focused on his current task; fire.

"I don't doubt you're ability to survive, but I doubt you have a place to keep you warm, or food stocked up. You'll also need warmer clothing then that, if you want to keep your toes." He had cleard the dirt and started laying wood down. The wood pile was kept inside to keep it dry. Dean stood and snatched the flint from Castiel's hands. He could see Dean was hurting from the way he held his arm.

Castiel sat down in his newly carved chair to watch Dean work. It took almost two months to make the chair, which was less time to make his small table.

Dean struck the stones and got sparkes, but nothing caught. 

"Perhaps you should add some kindling? Its in the bucket on the hook there." He pointed. Without a word Dean grabbed the bucket causing some of the dry leaves to fall out. Castiel jumped up. 

"I'm fine letting you do the work, or learn to, but it's winter. Everything we have now, is gold; nothing can be wasted. Understood?" Dean reluctantly handed the bucket over. Castiel took it, adding back the leaves. He squatted by the fire and waved Dean over.

"How many fires have you made?" 

"Six." Castiel started to put the kindling down, but he stopped.

"How much do you use?" Dean squatted next to him and took a rather large hand full. Looking to Castiel for approval.

"Try one fifth of that. That bucket has to last two weeks, three if we're lucky. As soon as the storm settles down we'll go collect more, except it'll be wet. It needs to dry and it'd be best to let it sit for a few days after. We only have so many containers, and you can't leave this stuff laying next to an open flame; especially when you live in a tree." His tone lighted up at the last bit. He looked over and smiled at Dean. He'd make this work yet.

~<3~

"I'm not sleeping with you!" 

"So it's your fingers and your toes you want to loose? You can't sleep on the floor and even if we did take the bed apart, neither of us would be warm. Wolf can sleep in the middle of us you like." Castiel persisted.

"You're not getting me in that bed." 

"I can't make you, but I was just staring to like you; what flowers do you want on your grave?" He knew it wouldn't kill him, but he'd be no good in the morning, and the food rations had just been cut in half. Dean laid down too close to the fire. 

"Ah! I see, you think if you burn yourself in your sleep the cold wont get you the next day. It won't work, but A for effort." 

"Now I know why your brother wanted you dead; you're an ass." Dean rolled away from the fire. 

"I might be an ass, but I'm an ass who's lived out here for three years. I'm trying to help you! But fine, do what you want." Castiel pointed to the bed made of furs and Wolf hopped in. It was very comfortable, considering it was bult on the ground; a few layers of leather for support, animal furs, from raccoons to squirrels, all sown together. Topped off with a bear skin blanket, fur side down of course. He joined Wolf in the warmth and turned his back to Dean. 

"There's two winter coats hanging on your right. Feal free to use them. Good night." He was Bobby's son alright, stubborn as hell, but not in a good way. Bobby had years of experience to back him up. Dean knew nothing, and what he did know was probably hindered by his arm.

He heard Dean take the jackets from the wall, but it'd been a tough day and Castiel soon fell asleep.

~<3~

Castiel woke to Wolf whining in his ear. He shot up; the last time she did that there was a bear scratching at the tree. There was a noise, but it wasn't a bear. Dean was shivering profusely. That idiot! He should have tried harder to convince him to share the bed. He picked him up and ordered Wolf to lay between Dean and the bark wall. He would have tried harder if he hadn't brought up his brother the way he did. Lucifer was his brother, they grew up close. He still loved him.

Castiel sighed as he started to take Dean's clothes off; skin to skin contact was the fastest way to warm him up. He kept the blanket above Deans waist as he removed his lower layers. He was going to get hell later, but that's a small price to pay for saving this man's life.

After removing his own clothing and adding a log to the coals, he got in bed, spooning Dean from behind. It was very, very, very, awkward. He decided to take one of the pillows and place it between his junk and Dean's ass; which only helped a small bit. Castiel reached over Dean to pet Wolf goodnight, as he was drawing his hand back, a sleeping Dean reached up and folded it into his arms; a cuddly sleeper, oh joy! But he didn't remove his arm, instead he adjusted to a simi-comfortable position, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Castiel did name her Wolf, because he is Castiel after all. Leave a comment so I know how I'm doing. Till next time my Darlings!


	3. Traps and Pain

"What the actual fuck is going on?" It was Dean. Castiel's own personal Hell had begun. Dean rocketed from the bed, taking the blanket to cover himself.

"I told you not to sleep on the floor, you were going to get hypothermia; and the only way to worm you up fast enough was skin to skin contact. Trust me, I had just as bad night as you did, cuddle bug." Castiel kept his junk hidden behind a pillow. 

"So are you just going to enjoy the view or grab my clothes?" He smiled sarcastically at him. Dean grabbed the pile of dear skin clothes off the floor and tossed them on the bed. 

"Yours are hung over there." He started to dress once Dean had turned away. 

"Do you know how to use a bow?" These answers would help Castiel determine how screwed they were.

"Of course!" Dean turned around without asking and Castiel was still pulling up his pants. Castiel shook his head chucking and finished dressing. 

"How well do you use a bow?" He walked over to the lowest shelf. There were ten jars all filled to the brim with jerky. He took two strips out and handed one to Dean.

"Ever kill a squirrel?" 

"No."

"Rabbit?" 

"Once." 

"I can work with that. Do you know how to set traps?" 

"Yes." Castiel peeked outside, still early morning; very little light and heavy snow fall.

"At midday, weather permitting, we'll go hunting and set traps. All hands on board." He gave Wolf a pat and placed the door back.

"I thought you said you had food stocked up?"

"Yes I did, and I do, but I only have enough for Wolf and I to eat comfortably. So today we need to hunt. After yesterday's events my fish spoiled. So we have plenty of bait for our traps." Castiel sat at the table and gestured for Dean to take the other chair.

"What kind of traps can you make?" 

"Nets, anything walks on it, give it a tug and you've got dinner." Castiel bit his lip in frustration and took in a deep breath.

"I'm going to try and be patient with you, and in return you stop stretching the truth." Castiel gave a fake smile and took in a deep breath. 

"How so?" 

"Well I was about to say 'If you think I'm standing out in a blizzard all day for one catch then you're crazier then I thought' but I didn't. You told me you knew how to set traps, plural. Also I don't think that technically is a trap, but I may be mistaken, so we'll let that one slide, but you left out the fact you can't hunt small game. So things like that." 

"I can agree to that." Dean nodded.

~<3~

It was noon and the wind had slowed, but the snow was still heavy. Castiel lead them about twenty yards from camp, bucket of fish in hand. 

"This is one of my regular traps. I'm going to show you how to set it up." He put the bucket down and grabbed a thin stick from near by pile. 

"Hand me a piece." Castiel held out his hand. Dean made a face but quickly gave him a chunk of fish. 

"Alright, so you take the chunk and start rubbing it in the center of the stick until there is almost none left." He worked slowly, making sure Dean was watching. There was a rock two feet long and three feet wide. It was about three inches thick, Castiel lifted it and used the stick to prop it up, using another two sticks to set a figure four trap. 

"Now when something comes along and smells the meat, it'll mess with the stick and we get squirrel pancakes. Do you see the mark on the tree?" 

"Yeah." Dean noticed an X carved into the bark. 

"There are eight of these in a circle around camp. I'm going to take Wolf to hunt, think you can handle these?" 

"Absolutely." 

~<3~

By four in the afternoon the wind had picked up quite a bit. Castiel and Wolf hadn't returned and Dean was starting to get worried. He started the fire up and used an empty pail to start melting snow. There was a noise outside and he went to peek out of a crack in the bark. It was Castiel and Wolf, who was carrying a deer, or what looked like the remnants of a deer, on her back. Castiel held the head of the deer by his side. Dean opened the door and ran to help. 

"Ropes, brown bag, under the table." His voice was commanding. Dean rushed back rope in hand.

"Do you know how to properly hang a dear?" He lifted the animal from his pet. 

"No." He remembered he was done lying. 

"Take Wolf in, put a bit of leather down for her and wait. Do not touch her." Dean looked to Wolf, and noticed that the blood on her coat was not from the deer. She started whining as Castiel took the rope and left but she reluctantly followed Dean into the tree. He did exactly as he was told; almost. He needed to see how big the wound was, there was blood covering almost all of her right side. The door rustled and he backed off, only getting a glimpse at it.

"Fifth jar, second shelf down." He was in panic mode. Dean did as he was told. 

"Theres a knife in the wooden box at the end of the bed." Castiel took some of the powder and held it up to Wolfs nose. It was gone in a few breaths. 

"Cut the leather hanging behind you into four inch strips, leaving the length alone. You should end up with six of them. Dean went to work. Castiel stood and grabbed two more jars. Wolf was almost out thanks to the powder. Castiel scooped a handful of honey from the first jar and began mixing it with a nasty looking, green paste.

"What are you doing?" He'd almost finished with the strips. 

"Honey to prevent infection, Tyme for pain relief and it's an antiseptic. Which hazel leaves for reducing swelling and a second pain reliever." He took the leather bandages and motioned for Dean to go around to the back of Wolf. They wrapped the wound tightly and carried her to the foot of the bed. 

Castiel sat in the chair and started to pull his shirt off. In the dead center of his chest was a bruise the size of a human head. 

"Can you hand me the green jar, I left on the floor, and put the honey away." With his head down he did what Castiel had asked. 

"What happened out there Cas?" Castiel stopped applying the paste to his chest and looked up at Dean. 

"Cas?" 

"It sutes you better." He nodded and continued to apply the paste. 

"Everything was normal, I found tracks, Wolf ran ahead, but I didn't call her off when I should have. It was too big of a buck. It got away from her and charged me. I dodged the antlers but it knocked me on my back. Wolf's protective mode clicked on and she hurt herself killing the thing." Cas stood up and turned. 

"Is there a bruise on my back?" 

"It's smaller, but yeah."

"How small is smaller?" 

"About have the size. " Cas turned to Dean and handed him the jar. 

"You want me to put some on your back?" 

"If you don't mind." Dean took the jar and Cas turned around. The paste was cold and lumpy, kind of like mashed peas you feed to babies. He was careful not to push too hard but made sure to cover the whole bruise. He closed the jar and Castiel took that as a sign he was done. He went and sat by the fire as Dean put the jar back and then went to sit with him. 

"I knew better, but I have to take care of you." 

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"That fact that you're Bobby's son alone, I owe it to him to take care of you; and I chose to save you knowing I didn't have the supplies to take care of you, but I'm not sure I can take care of you once winter is over. I'll teach you everything you need to know, but come spring I need you to leave." Castiel didn't want to say the real reason he wanted him gone, after all he had promised to go easy on him. The truth was that Castiel knew that if it came down to him or Dean, he'd pick Dean, and the tiny selfish part of him wanted Dean gone.


	4. Apologies and Games

"Oh, so first I can't leave and now I can't stay?" Dean huffed as he turned to face Cas.

"You didn't want to stay. Are you changing your mind?" 

"No, no you're right. I don't want to stay; and I don't need you to teach me anything." 

"Like it or not I will be teaching you. You've proven that you wouldn't be able to make it out there. So put your pride aside and for your father's sake, listen when I teach." There was silence while they sat next to each other watching the fire. Castiel was the first to get up, noticing the paste had dried. He knelt down to check on Wolf, who was out cold. 

"I'm going to bed." Cas wasn't trying to be mean, but he'd lived here three years, survived three years. He'd be damned if all of that went to waste, Bobby had died so he could live. Of course he wanted to take care of Dean. He was sweet, and innocent; cocky and stubborn, but that must just run in the family. He wanted someone to talk to, he didn't want to feel alone.

Castiel laid down and moved to the far side so Dean didn't have to crawl over him. With his back to Dean, who was still watching the dimming fire, he closed his eyes; but no sleep came. Eventually he felt Dean slide into bed next to him. His body was warm and comforting. This seemed right, which was frustrating and a little frightening.

"Goodnight, Cas." Dean didn't know if he was awake, but it was a whisper, not really meant to be heard anyway. Castiel tried excuse after excuse in his mind as to why this felt so right. He settled on not having Wolf next to him; he needed another worm body to sleep next to, but deep down, he knew that wasn't the truth. 

~<3~

Castiel woke the next morning to Dean laying across his chest. He didn't want to wake him; he looked so peaceful, beautiful even. His hair was just long enough to be messy, and he smiled breathing softly. His freckles just visible on his nose and cheeks. 

Wolf gave a soft whine and Castiel carefully but quickly slid out from under the sleeping man. Wolf was awake, using her tongue to lick the bandages. He placed a soft touch to her muzzle, and pulled her face to look at him. He rested their foreheads together, she knew he would fix her. 

There was a thump and Castiel looked to find the door almost knocked over, half buried in the snow. This was going to be a very bad blizzard.

Dean awoke to find Cas reapplying the green paste to Wolf. He was still upset about last night and decided he wanted to take a quick walk. After grabbing a jacket from one of the hooks, he went to open the door, only to find it latched with some kind of rope. 

"It started to blow open shortly after I woke. We can't go out today." Cas put the lid back on the jar. He put it away and grabbed his plant guide from the shelf. Dean watched and when Castiel motioned for him to sit with him on the bed he did.

"First things first, you need to know what's safe, what's deadly, and everything in between." He opened the book to the first page. There was a very accurate drawing of poison ivy, it was even in color, which was very rare for most books. Castiel started to read aloud, but noticed something was off, it was the look on the other man's face. He looked to Dean, hoping he would fill him in.

"I can't read." Castiel felt a wave of stupidity wash over himself; of course Dean couldn't read. He hadn't had the privileges that Castiel had growing up. 

"I suppose I'll teach you how to do that as well." Castiel had ment that to sound a lot nicer then it came out. Dean was silent. It was going to be an unbearable winter if Castiel left things like this.

"I know this isn't ideal, and honestly my social skills are rusty. I've been alone out here for quite sometime, don't get me wrong; it's a welcome change to have you here. I just don't think it'd be best for you to stay long term, can we just agree to start over?" Dean had an uneasy look, and Castiel wondered if he'd just dug himself into a deeper hole. 

"It's a good idea to make the best of it, I suppose." 

~<3~

The rest of the day was spent teaching Dean the alphabet. He knew almost half the letters, but none of the sounds they made. Cas was patient with and he actually enjoyed teaching him.

Dean found the work to be easy enough and though he struggled at first he had ever letter memorized by night fall. 

"How about some dinner?" Castiel asked closing the novel they had been working with. Dean's stomach answered for him with a loud growl, making Castiel chuckle. He pulled a wooden box from a high shelf and brought it next to the fire.

"Dried fish; one piece each." Dean took his piece happily, as lunch was only a small piece of jerky. 

"This is going to be the norm, isn't it?" He asked taking a bite. 

"Unless something changes, yes." 

"This sucks." Dean moaned, taking the last bite of his dinner. He chewed slowly trying to focus on the feeling of a full mouth, the taste of the salty fish.

"I agree, but there is no use complaining about things that can't be changed. Here," Cas stood. "Do you play games?" He brought back some sticks and tiny stones.

"No, I never had any to play." Cas sat in front of him and started to lay the longer sticks across and on top of each other. 

"Sticks or stones?" He asked. 

"Stones." He took them from Castiel's hand. 

"The point of this game is to get your pieces to line up; three in a row, but you also have to stop me from doing it." Dean was lost but he figured he'd learn as they went. They played long into the night, until Dean let out a loud yawn. 

"We can play again tomorrow." Castiel picked up the pieces to put away. They both crawled into bed, facing each other. 

"I use to sleep alone when I lived with my family. Sam had dreadful nightmares and slept with our dad after mom died." Dean whispered.

"How did your mother die? Bobby never talked about it, but I knew he'd lost his wife." 

"She worked at a stable, mostly cleaning stalls. One of the new workers broke a lantern near the hay. She was trying to get all the horses out, but she got trapped." He stopped, voice cracking. Cas pulled him into his arms and held him tight. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Me too." Dean fell asleep in Cas' arms that night, and Castiel watched him until he drifted off as well.


	5. Stew and Drawing

Dean woke up draped over Cas, which was definitely normal by now. He'd been here two weeks. The blizzard had picked up yesterday, which didn't seem possible, and Dean was grateful that Wolf was sleeping with them once again. The coals of the fire were lower then normal this morning, and Dean had grown accustomed to doing his fair share of the work; but he couldn't bring himself to get up.

Wolf rolled over with a sigh, and buried her nose in his armpit. The first time she did this he pulled away in pain because she had hit his still wrapped wound. It was starting to get better, everyone was healing nicely actually. Wolf was so sweet and he couldn't help but love her, even if she did tickle his armpit every now and then. 

It was getting too cold for his liking and he reluctantly crawled out of bed to stoke the fire. He eyed the shelf that had the jars of jerky; he knew he couldn't have them. He'd screw both of them over, but that didn't mean he couldn't stare and imagine stuffing his face with the chewy meat.

He picked up the novel they had been working on yesterday; a romance. Almost every book Cas owned was a romance, but Dean supposed that that might have been his father's doing. He was a hopeless romantic, always was.

They had gotten through the first chapter, Cas insisting he read everything by himself. It was the only way he'd learn, but damn, it was slow; not to mention annoying when he got the word wrong. 

He opened the book to somewhere in the middle and focused on the smaller words; hand, soft, kiss. This was a tender part, the man expressing his feelings. Dean closed the book, not wanting to ruin the story by finding too many details. 

It was getting cramped in here. They hadn't left since the day Cas got hurt. Hopefully they could go out soon, if not he'd go insane. 

"Morning." Castiel mumbled, stretching his limbs out. 

"Morning, Cas." 

"It's nice waking up to a warm fire." He snuggled back under the blanket. Dean stood up and fell on Cas playfully, making sure to avoid Wolf. 

"It might be warm in here, but I'm dying to stretch my legs." 

"Have you checked the weather?" 

"No." Dean grumbled. Cas tossed him off, rather easily. For being his size he was impressively strong. He put his ear to the door, then untied the latch. 

"Grab the coats." Dean ran to do so. 

"What are we doing?" 

"We are having stew tonight." Castiel handed him the largest knife he owned and his jacket over his shoulders. When he opened the door they both rushed out, Dean on Cas' heels. 

They reached the dear, which surprisingly was still hanging from the tree. The wind was harsh and snow wipped across their faces hard enough to sting. 

"Start sawing at the hip!" Castiel yelled over the wind. Dean did as he was told but when he looked up Cas was walking away, and not towards the tree. He picked up the pace, trying to cut through the frozen meat. Cas was out of sight now and Dean's heart was racing, he didn't like being alone out here, but he didn't like Cas being alone out here more. The back leg was almost off when he saw Cas fighting the wind back to him. He had something large and black in his hands. 

The leg came loose and Dean caught it, being careful not to drop the knife as the meat landed heavily in his arms. He followed Cas back inside and helped shut the door, both panting. 

"Was that what you needed?" Castiel laughed. Dean turned his attention to the black thing which turned out to be a cast iron cauldron, complete with a fitted lid. 

"Where-" Cas cut him off with a laugh.

"You didn't think I had everything stored in here did you?" Dean hadn't thought about it. Cas took the leg and placed it on the table. Wolf got up and went to sit next to him, as he started to scrape the ice from the hide.

"Why don't you grab the vegetables and see if you can cut them. They might need to thaw out a bit though. Cas pointed to the pot. Sure enough there were carrots and potatoes in the cauldron.

"Where do you store all this?" Dean asked dumbfounded. 

"I have caches stored all over. They really come in handy during the winter, a natural ice box underground. I store meat, fruit, vegetables, you name it; but I do have above ground hideaways for larger items." Dean sat across the table sawing a rock hard carrots. 

"I never would have thought of that." Dean admitted finishing his first slice. Castiel got up and brought them each a piece of jerky; breakfast at last.

~<3~

Everything was left to thaw as they sat by the fire focusing on the plant guide. Castiel quizzing Dean on a few plants. He had picked up on them quickly but with something as important as this it had to be ingrained into his head.

"If I have to look at one more plant my brain is going to melt, and drip out my ears!" Dean exclaimed dramatic throwing himself back on the bed. 

"As long as you clean it up." Cas smiled at him. It was suprising how little he'd smiled over these last few years; not that he'd really noticed. It wasn't the type of thing one thinks about until it changes. 

"So you wouldn't miss me?" There it was, that loaded question. Dean had been asking similar things, but Castiel wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or not. 

"Here, this should help cool your mind before it melts." He grabbed two of the slim game sticks and rolled them in the black ash at the edge of the fire pit. Dean was still sprawled out on the bed when Castiel began to draw on the wall with the soot. He watched as the dark haired man drew swirls and sharp lines until it formed a beautiful tree. 

This had Dean's attention and he took the other stick, adding stick people in the background. He looked to Cas who was watching him, his face, not his drawing hand. Dean's jade green eyes lit up as he carefully sketched the simple people. 

"I take it you havent done a lot of drawing." Castiel went to fetch a black rabbit's hide he used for cleaning. 

"No, I tried to draw in the dirt once, but my hand couldn't get the image in my head to come out in the dirt. So I got frustrated and stopped. It didn't seem worth the effort. " He mumbled the last part softly. Castiel wiped the spot away. 

"Will you let me teach you how to draw?" He asked with his back to Dean and reapplied tha ash. 

"Why not? You're teaching me everything else." Dean sighed and rolled his eyes, his tone playfully but somewhat annoyed. He took the stick and Cas stood behind him, pressing his chest to Dean's back. Dean tensed up at first; which was strange considering they cuddled at night, but that was just for warmth. Wasn't it? 

Castiel placed his arm over Dean's, curling his fingers around the other man's hand and adjusting until he found the right grip. 

"Relax your hand, until it almost feels like the stick is going to drop."

"Why?" 

"Because you're holding it so tight it's about to snap." 

"Oh, sorry." Dean could feel Cas' breath on his neck as he moved his head to get a better view of the wall.

"What do you want to draw?" He whispered.

"You're doing the work, you pick." Castiel started to make slow flowing strokes left to right. It took Dean a minute but he soon recognized the shape to be a horse. Cas had finished the drawing but he didn't move. 

Both boys frozen because the other didn't move away. Neither one wanted the other one to move. This wasn't just for warmth, and Dean started to think it wasn't about drawing any more either. 

Castiel went to pull away, but his gut told him not to. His gut had never been wrong; not with hunts, or dangerous stuations, not back at the castle. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to stay there. 

They were both still holding the stick and Dean began to draw on his own, but Cas' hand didn't leave. He allowed his hands to flow with the movements.

First he started with the inside of the tree, all the shelves, the fire pit with dancing flames. Then he added the bed, two sleeping stick figures sticking out of the covers. Dean turned his head to look at Cas, their lips inches apart.

"That's not bad." He could feel the warm on his lips. Wolf nudged Dean's leg and whined. The men let go of each other, exchanging longing looks. 

"We can draw again later, right?" Dean asked biting his bottom lip. 

"I'd like that."


	6. Love and Hatred

Dean woke as Castiel started thrashing beside him. It had happened before but never this violently. This time Dean decided he needed to wake him up.

"Cas? Hey, it's just a dream. Cas!" He started to shake him after realizing he wasn't making a difference; still nothing but flailing arms and sobs. Dean pulled the smaller man onto his lap, tightly pinning his arms down. He was shaking, more like a twitch actually. 

Dean realized that Wolf was in front of them now. She snuggled up to her owner, putting all her weight on him and Dean as well. 

"Castiel!" That did it. His eyes flew open but his sobs turned to screams; the twitching to swings.

"It's me, Cas! It's Dean!" That seemed to get through to him. He went rag doll limp in Dean's arms, Wolf still covering them both. 

"It was just a dream." Dean whispered as he started to pet Cas' hair. Castiel leaned into the tough, making soft breathy sobs, and leaning his head onto Dean's chest, the man's heart beat slowing his own.

"What were you dreaming about?" Dean finally asked. Cas avoided his eyes, Dean could tell he didn't want to talk about it; but as his father had told him, 'if you don't get it out, it'll get stuck'. He freed one if his arms and placed his hand under Cas' chin, tilting until their eyes me. There was fear in those crystal blue eyes; fear and something Dean couldn't put his finger on. 

"You're safe, I'm here and so is Wolf. We'll protect you." He didn't let go when Castiel tried to look away.

"It won't do you any good to let it fester up there. Cas, please let me help you." There was silence for a moment.

"My brother found us. He killed you in front of me, made me watch as he did horrible things-" Dean pulled him closer until he couldn't talk anymore. He nuzzled his nose in to Cas' messy hair. 

"I'm right here; safe, with you." Cas was clutching tight fists in Dean's shirt, he had started to tremble.This must have been a terrifying dream. Dean laid them both down, pulling the crying man almost on top of him. He pulled Cas' hands from his tear soaked eyes, so he could see them when he spoke. 

"I'm here, with you. We are together and safe. Wolf is here to protect us, she's worried about you, and so am I. Let's just take a few deep breaths." Dean had pulled their foreheads together and had his hands on Castiel's temples.

"In, and out. In, and out. In, and out. Much better." Castiel had almost settled when he realized what exactly he was doing. He was on top of Dean. Inches from Dean's lips. Dean was holding his face. He rolled over Immediately. 

"Hey, it's okay. Come back." Dean sat up and protested. This was not how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to teach Dean, then send him away. He was not supposed to get feelings for him, and he was for damn sure not supposed to get butterflies laying on top of him!

~<3~

It's had been six weeks since Dean showed up on Castiel's door step. There was no denying it now, both men were very close. Dean excepted it, enjoyed it; but feared the day the snow would melt. The day Castiel would tell him to leave.

Castiel was furious at himself, he'd let Dean open his heart. He was here to survive so Bobby's death meant something. Besides, Dean was too good for him. He was Bobby's son. He grew up in the real world, earning what he had. Castiel, no matter how hard he worked at it, never deserved what he was given. Dean was right to call him spoiled. 

Dean was drawing on the wall as Castiel sat carving at the table. Normally he would just carve for wood shavings, to use as kindling; but now he was giving the wood shape. It was a flower. Castiel hadn't meant for it to become anything, he knew what was left would have to be burned. There was only so much wood after all. 

Dean had been watching him from the corner of his eye. Cas' hands gripping the knife. He hadn't been paying attention to his own work and when Cas caught him looked, Dean snapped his head back to the wall. What he saw made his breath catch in his chest. It was a heart, with swirling patterns flowing off in all directions. 

"Didn't take you for a romantic." Castiel had put his things down and now stood beside him.

"Like father like son, I guess." Dean was about to wipe it away when Castiel caught his wrist. He wasn't sure what the other man was doing, but neither did Castiel. He hadn't wanted Dean to ruin the art just yet, but now that he was holding Dean he didn't want to let go. 

"Would you like to draw with me?" Dean hadn't moved away, the other man nodded. Castiel swiftly moved them into the first position they had started to draw in. The movement was so fluid because of how many times they'd done it before. 

Dean allowed Castiel to control his hand and Cas began to draw the skyline of their town. Dean stopped allowing the motion as soon as he recognized it. He yanked the stick across the drawing, ruining it in a few swipes. Castiel had barely begun to register what had happened before Dean was prying free from his grasp. He turned to face the man, anger blazing deep from his soul and beaming from his green eyes.

"Dean?" His voice was soft, questioning, hurt. The feeling of Dean ripping them apart had a much greater impact on Cas then he even realized was possible. 

"That's not something I want to remember!" He growled at Castiel before turning his back to him. Cas' heart was shattering in his chest, he was breathing hard. Dean wasn't just angry, he was hurt and in pain, lashing out like a wounded animal. 

Wolf was up at Dean's side, trying to calm him. She nuzzled his fist, hoping to help in some way, but his hand shot up. What ever this was, it was bad, like a raw nerve that had been skinned over and over without remorse or reprieve. 

"It doesn't look like that and more, Castiel. " Dean finally spoke, low but still with enough power to send a terrifying shiver through Castiel's body; but it wasn't the tone that did it. He had used his full name; Castiel. If it wasn't serious enough before it was for damn sure now.

"Talk to me." Castiel knew better then to try and comfort Dean. He knew to stay back and not reach for him, but he would not let Dean boil in this rage. He had to do something to pull him out.

"Lucifer." Dean spat out the name. There was a thundering boom as Dean punched the side of the tree. He left his fist there, blood dripping down. 

"What about my bro-" Dean snapped around. He had almost forgotten that Castiel was his twin. They looked nothing alike, Castiel was gentle, kind, fun. 

"Do not remind me of your relation." He lowered his fists to his sides. Castiel kept his mouth shut and Dean eventually began to speak. 

"There is nothing left of our home. People starved to death, their bodies littering the streets. The fields are bare, the wells are dry. Lucifer has destroyed everything. His greed and lust for power has cost everything; everything there ever was or ever will be." Tears started to stream down his face, but he was still screaming. Castiel wanted to run to him, to wipe the tears from his eyes. He wanted to hold him, and take the anger away, kiss it away. This was the first time he'd admitted to himself that he wanted Dean. He needed Dean. 

"There is nothing there, the people who remain lost hope, slaves to Lucifer's whims. He is a God, and no one dare oppose him." Castiel wasn't going to allow this to continue, if he was hurt during the process then so be it. He walked over to Dean who backed away from him. 

"Dean, let me." He didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but he'd figure it out once he had his hands on the other man. Dean fought, and Castiel backed him up against the wall. Dean flinched at the touch only for a second before leaning into it. Castiel stood pressed up against the other man's body, pinning his hands to his side. They looked at each other, both waiting watching. They leaned in at the same time and the other realized that they both wanted this; both needed this.


	7. Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the smut train! Choo! Choo!

Dean went to free his hands and Castiel let him, but immediately took them again this time pinning them above his head. Dean struggled for only a moment, before letting Cas take control. He opened his mouth for him and Castiel's tongue greedily took advantage of this. He'd never kissed a man before but this was electrifying. Dean melted under his touch and moaned into his mouth. 

Dean began to thrust up, trying to find any type of friction for his growing erection, which Castiel denied, causing Dean's moans to turn to whimpers. He spun Dean around and threw him back onto the bed. Dean didn't know what to do with himself, this was nothing like he'd ever expected. 

Castiel had noticed this and was taking full advantage. He started to strip both of them of their top layers. He nipped at his neck causing all kinds of beautiful sounds, and he wanted more. He sucked hickey after hickey and then teased them with his tongue, before taking Dean's earlobe between his teeth and playing with it as he growled unholy noises in his ear. Dean already had his hands fisted in Castiel's hair. 

After he was finished with Dean's neck he moved down to his chest. He licked one nipple making it erect before sucking on it, tongue swirling. He moved to the other and copied the movement while playing with the fist nipple between his fingers. 

"Cas please." Dean groaned. 

"This is your first time isn't it?" He started placing gentle kisses all over his chest slowly. Dean whimpered enjoying this just as much as the rushed frantic attention he had before. 

"Ye- yes." He let go of Cas' hair to explore his muscular shoulders. 

"Am I being too rough?" Dean shook his head frantically. Erotic noises coming from his throat as the kisses reached his waist line.  
"Is there anything you want?" Castiel started to remove his pants. 

"You!" Dean rushed up to try and tug at Castiel's waist, pulling down his pants. Once both men were stripped Castiel took control again, pushing Dean back as he licked over his hip bones. Dean was shaking, but definitely not from the cold air. 

He felt the slightest touch as Cas' hand brushed over his cock. It was lighter then a feather but still left Dean immobilized. Cas was satisfied with the touch and moved his mouth just above Dean's throbbing erection; panting warm breath over it and watching as Dean's face scrunched up at the sensation. 

There wasn't a more amazing sight in the world. He couldn't wait any longer and swallowed Dean down to the base. He bucked up gasping for breath. Cas knew he wouldn't last long, but even so he had so much more then a blow job in mind. 

He ducked and slurped, making extra noises to drive Dean crazy. Dean came hard and Cas locked their eyes as he swallowed most of it down, leaving just enough to spit into his hand. 

"What are you-" He hopped as a cum slicked finger started to circle his entrance before slipping in. He wriggled and squirmed at the sensation, screaming as Cas hit that special bundle of nerves; he had to lay a hand on Dean's chest as he slipped another finger in, Dean didn't know what to do with himself. He'd never experienced this amount of pleasure. 

"Am I going to fast?" Castiel pumped his fingers gingerly in and out. 

"No, I need more, please Cas! Give me more!"Castle started to scissor him open, using what was left of the cum to slick up his own cock. He lined it up as he removed his fingers and no more then a second passed before sliding up into the tight amazing warmth that was the man he'd come to love. 

He pushed in slowly allowing Dean to adjust to feeling of his cock filling him. 

"Let me know if I'm-" Dean thrust himself down all the way, cutting off Cas in mid-sentence. He took that as the go ahead and began trusting deeply but at an agonizingly slow pace. Dean tried to fuck himself faster on Cas' thick cock and soon they were moving as one, deep fast thrusts. Dean was hard again and Cas took him in hand and stroked in motion with the thrusts. 

"Your so tight." Cas moaned out. Dean reached up and pulled Cas down for a kiss right before he shot thick ropes of cum covering both of their torsos. The feeling of Dean's cum on his chest was enough to push Cas over the edge and he filled Dean up, cum leaking out. Dean had arched his back allowing Cas to get a tiny bit deeper as he filled him, then he collapsed onto the other man's chest, both panting, lips brushing, eyes locked.

"I love you." Cas whispered. Dean's smile faded. Which shocked Cas who pulled away to get a better look at him. 

"What's wrong?" He ask petrified that he'd done something wrong.

"Don't say that unless you mean it. I won't be mad if you take it back; but do not say that unless you, really, truly mean it, Cas." His eyes were locked in place as a smile came to Cas' face. 

"I do mean it. I promise, I wouldn't let myself believe it, because I was scared; but I'm not scared anymore. I love you Dean Winchester, truly." He leaned down to kiss him lightly on the nose. 

"I love you too." Dean slipped his head up so their lips met, but Dean yawned into the kiss, which made Cas laugh, but he managed to keep their lips together.

"I guess I wore you out." Cas chuckled burrowing his head in Dean's neck.

"Yes, but I enjoy being wore out." There was sleep in his voice and his eyes closed.

"Dean, we are going to get our home back, I promise." But Dean was already asleep beneath him.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are liking it let me know! Every comment means a lot. I try and post about four chapters a week, so enjoy my Darlings!


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